The human element has never been more important in this connected business world
Watch the free webinar. I recently attended, with NextMinute sponsoring, the ICNZB BookkeeperCon21 in Rotorua, NZ.
The theme of the conference was “We’re Taking Care of Business”.
With around 200 members attending the conference event over 2 days, it was a hive of activity. Everyone was there to learn, whether it was from sponsors, speakers, other attendees or the organisers.
We had great conversations, heard customer stories, a bit of smack talk and for us, getting an even better understanding on what’s going on in small to medium sized businesses at the coal face.
It wasn’t until day 2 of the conference that the theme hit me.
There is so much more to “taking care of business” than numbers, compliance, payroll etc. These are all outputs of a job completed. The meaning is in the title “taking care”… When we say “take care of yourself” we don’t mean washing dishes, doing laundry or vacuuming. We say it with the meaning for you to eat well, read a good book, sit in the sun or take a holiday. We say it with the meaning to do something that will improve your quality of life.
Businesses have a reason to exist outside of turning a profit.
So to me, “Taking care of business” is the care, empathy and passion that can only be achieved with the human touch… By the way, there is no App for this!
There has not been (at least in my lifetime) a more volatile, uncertain and strange period of time to be a business owner.
The pressure and anxiety has been evident … but what was very clear, is that there is resilience to get through. Having a trusted support network alongside them to help support & navigate through the challenges, I would suggest, has been critical to many businesses just getting through. And these support networks have come in the shape of our community of bookkeepers, accountants, business advisors, software & ecosystem apps and industry bodies like the ICB. We all deserve a pat on the back for the last 18 months.
Bringing our community together raised the questions of what are their challenges, where are the opportunities, who can they talk to, what do they need most?
When I cut through it all … it was the human touch. They want to know they can pick up the phone, they want to know they will be listened to and looked after … they don’t expect perfection, they want simple, but most importantly they want “us”, our attention and care.
Apps & software, processes, equipment can be replaced and improved.
Genuine conversations, customer stories, banter & laughter cannot be replaced.
When you partner with NextMinute, you get us. When a customer uses NextMinute, they get us. We are here to make business life simpler and easier to navigate … so when things get hectic, we can rely on each other. That sense of belonging and trust is “taking care of business”. Let’s take care of business for builders and trades together … let’s do it with smart tech but most importantly with the human element.
